U-23 squad begins inaugural campaign

Jaime Moreno’s side faces Fredericksburg Hotspur on June 21 at Univ. of Mary Washington

June 17, 2011

D.C. United’s newly-formed U-23 squad will kick-off its inaugural season against Fredericksburg Hotspur on Tuesday, June 21 on the campus of University of Mary Washington at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Tuesday will mark the head coaching debut of United legend Jaime Moreno, with the former striker making a transition to coaching after 15 success-filled MLS seasons. Moreno retired on October 23, 2010 in D.C. United’s 2 season finale against Toronto FC. He is still Major League Soccer’s all-time leading scorer with 133 tallies.

“I feel great about [the transition] to coaching. So far I'm doing fine, I'm really enjoying coaching and the guys are responding well,” said Moreno. “We only have a couple of weeks to work with the guys, but I want to be an organized team that has good possession of the ball. We will tell our players the right way to play so that they develop.”

D.C. United’s inaugural game against Fredericksburg Hotspur will mark the first of six to eight games that Moreno’s club will play over the summer. The U-23 roster is composed of elite college players from across the Mid-Atlantic region, from schools such as the University of Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.

Fredericksburg Hotspur currently competes in the South Atlantic Division of USL’s Premier Development League. The match against United’s U-23 squad comes following two draws against fellow PDL opponents.